Les Said the Better
by Random Guise
Summary: Tugg Speedman got his Oscar at the end of the 2008 movie "Tropic Thunder". But there was something that happened during the filming that he had to deal with, and his friend and agent Rick Peck was the first to find out. I don't own these characters, and I've never been in a helicopter.


**A/N: Tugg Speedman proved himself as an actor at the end of the 2008 movie "Tropic Thunder". Then he had to prove something to himself.**

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Les Said the Better

"I'm telling you Tuggernauts, don't do it buddy."

Tugg Speedman quickly got up from his chair and walked to a corner of the room away from prying ears while he talked to his longtime agent over the phone. "I got to do it, Rick; I feel it in my bones. Look, I may not have always made the best choices in life but I don't sit down and strategize what's going to play the best. I _know_ this is the right thing."

"Right thing? Since when does being an actor mean you have to do the right thing? Do you want me to conference in Les Grossman and have _him_ tell you what the right thing is? You know what he's gonna say." Rick Peck wasn't just saying it in an attempt to keep Tugg marketable; he was also a friend and thought it would be the best for the man he flew across the Pacific to save from the jungles of the Golden Triangle. And most people avoided Les unless absolutely necessary; you could be on the same side with him and STILL feel like you came out on the business end of a toilet after passing through the man's digestive tract.

"I've given it a lot of thought, and I have to do it. We kept it out of the movie, but now that the Oscars are over I have to do it before I even begin to think about starting any more movies. If they don't want to hire me afterwards, well...I'm okay with that now. If Les wants to tear me a new one - well, I'm not so okay with that but I'm willing to accept it anyway."

"Now that you have the hardware, right?"

Tugg thought of the Best Actor Oscar sitting on his mantle back home. "I won't lie, it's nice having one now; it's the ultimate validation as an actor. But I went half-way around the world and found people that enjoyed my work. I like making a connection with my audience, and this is the best chance to do it."

"You're gonna lose that audience is all I'm sayin', Tugg-o-matic."

"Yeah, well we'll see. I feel bad about it, Rick. I have to unburden myself."

"Did Kirk talk you into this? Is this one of his 'methods' he uses?" Kirk Lazarus was a method actor who had gone to Vietnam with Tugg to film the adaptation of the book Tropic Thunder, and his method was to totally immerse himself in his role and not come out of character until the project was completed. He was well-respected and considered an actor's actor.

"No, but he's got my back on this one. Jeff and Kevin do too. The only question is, are you with me Rick?"

From inside his office, Rick took the basketball in his free hand and attempted to make a shot from about fifteen feet; it missed the basket completely. "You feel that strongly about it, do you?"

"Yeah."

"Then I have to invoke the golden rule of agency."

"Cheat me?"

"No, that's the second rule. First rule is that the client isn't always right, but he pays the bills. I'll back your play bro, even if it puts you on some reality TV show somewhere."

"Thanks Rick. Coming from you that means a lot."

"Anytime. Now say it for me - come on, say it."

Tugg looked around to make sure no one was listening in. "You m-m-make m-me h-h-happy."

"So do you my man, so do you. Go knock 'em out - make me proud of the Tuggster." The phone went dead just before an assistant poked her head into the dressing room. "Fifteen minutes, Mr. Speedman" she said with a smile before disappearing again. Tugg composed himself for what was to come.

...

The show's host addressed the audience and camera when the red light went on. "Welcome back. Today on Oprah I have a special guest. Well, they're all special - right? But not all of them just WON AN OSCAR! Let's hear it for Tugg Speedman!" The audience cheered, along with a few catcalls, as Tugg entered the stage from the wings. He waved half-hearted and took his seat nervously. "Tugg, you look nervous! This can't be as bad as that adventure you had filming Tropic Blunder."

"No Oprah, it's not that. I have something that I have to say to the audience and to all the people out there that think I'm just this really great guy." He looked down and reached into his pocket for a rolled-up copy of Vanity Fair. He showed the back cover to Oprah; it was his ad for the World Organization for Panda Relief.

"That's right - you're the national spokesperson for WOPR. I love that ad."

As real tears welled up, Tugg could hardly speak. "When I was over there in the jungle I...I..."

"Yes?" she prodded.

"I...killed one." The audience gasped and Oprah rocked back in her chair.

...

Les Grossman watched his wall-sized big screen as the audience cheered the bravery, compassion and vulnerability of Oprah's guest while the host wiped away tears from her face. He shook his head and changed channels to a thumping rap ballad. "I just don't understand that guy or what people see in him" he said as he shook his head before standing up and starting to move with the beat.

The End

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**A/N: I just watched this movie, and although the language was really rough for my tastes the humor was still pretty good. As I wrote the dialogue for this I had to hold myself in check and not use the same...er...vocabulary many of the actors used. Sorry, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.**


End file.
